Iran in Latin America, Post-Chavez

Argentina’s controversial agreement with Iran disappeared long ago from the western media radar screen, but it continues to kick and scream in Latin America. The death of Chavez – who made 13 visits to Iran from 1999 to his death, and hosted Iran’s president six times since 2005 – is the perfect time to catch up on developments.

For those who missed it: in the past few weeks the two houses of Argentine’s parliament approved the agreement , leaving the next move for the Iranian parliament. Emotions have continued to run high around the agreement, with the media loyal to its task of reflecting the positions of both sides – not all entirely level-headed, as demonstrated by this and this

As the Argentine government works hard to advance the agreement, not every expression of support appears logicial. For example, this Reuters item updates that:

Amnesty International in Argentina praised the agreement on Thursday, saying that “although it does not guarantee in any way the success of the investigation, it creates an opportunity to move forward towards justice and reparations for the victims.”

As the drama plays out, we’ve also noticed some fairly transparent media activity by pro-Iranian platforms. Why transparent? Well, maybe because most of them appeared on the exact same date – February 15 (we’ll let readers search for them on their own).

It seems to us that this is an issue that warrants regular media scrutiny: it isn’t going away anytime soon, and carries with it weighty significance outside of Argentina. This CNN report of life after Chavez seems to nail the matter quite nicely:

“Why does the U.S. want better relations?

One reason analysts point to is Iran.

The U.S. may seek Venezuela’s help in imposing sanctions on Iran for its nuclear program, senior American officials said.

Iran and Venezuela have close relations.

Last year, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad traveled to Venezuela as part of a tour of Latin America. The two leaders vowed to work together.

Over the years, the two nations have signed more than 270 accords, including trade deals and agreements on construction projects, car and tractor factories, energy initiatives and banking programs.”